Page 77 of Suddenly a (The St. Clairs 5)

By now, Annie had arrived and Mia told her that once the rooms were emptied of the furniture going to the townhouse, the maid could start a deep cleaning.

“Everything, Annie. From baseboards up.”

Mia was glad the girl would be staying with them. She had planned to have Annie come here once a week and do a bit of cleaning around the experiments. George insisted he would sweep up and keep things in order, though.

The servants moved quickly, packing the wagons and leaving for Mayfair, one of the women carrying Nelson with her in a basket.

“I’ll see he’s fed, Mrs. St. Clair,” the maid promised. “He’ll be waiting for you at your new home.”

Mia surveyed what had been left behind and then sat with George and composed of list of what equipment needed to be purchased.

“I can go get what we need now, Mrs. St. Clair. Fresh notebooks, too. I know you’ll be scribbling new ideas in no time.” He paused. “Would you like me to drop you at the new house first?”

She thought a moment. “No. I’d rather stay here for a while. If I wish to go to Mayfair before you return, I can always take a hansom cab. If I’m not here when you return, then be at the new place at seven tomorrow morning. We’ll have a full day ahead of us.”

They had already discussed that since George was her assistant, he could remain living at Hudson’s rooms. With what had happened at the warehouse, Mia was especially glad someone would be on the property at night.

She walked out to the carriage with him. “Thank you again for everything, George.”

“Thank you, Mrs. St. Clair. Don’t you worry. We’ll get our laboratory up and running in record time. I’ll have everything set up for you tomorrow when you arrive.”

She watched him leave, knowing how efficient he was. When she arrived tomorrow, it would be a new chapter in her life.

As Mia turned to go inside again, a carriage pulled up next to her. She paused, wondering who would be coming to call.

The door opened in front of her. To her amazement, she saw her cousin and his wife sitting inside.

The viscount leaned toward the open door and said, “I heard you had some difficulties today, Cousin Mia.”

She knew instantly this man had been responsible for the warehouse fire. Hudson had promised to destroy Morrison—so the viscount had struck first.

Before she could accuse him, he raised a pistol and pointed it at her. “Get in, Cousin,” he ordered.

Fear filled her. The footman latched on to her elbow and forced her up the steps he’d set into place. Mia sat opposite Lord and Lady Morrison, her heart racing as the door closed. The vehicle started up.

“I know Hudson bought up your markers,” she said. “I didn’t know until yesterday. I told him not to call them in. He won’t. I promise. He’ll tear them up.”

“That’s good news,” Morrison said jovially. No mirth reached his eyes, though. They looked like dark pools of death.

“Stop the carriage,” Mia said calmly. “You know now that you won’t have to pay these gambling debts. I give you my word.”

“The carriage won’t be stopping,” Lady Morrison said. “We need you for other things.”

“What?” she asked, dread filling her.

Lord Morrison smiled coldly. “We hear you are an inventor. That you sold an engine and made a great deal of money on it. I’m sure it was your father’s creation, Mia. That means it and the monies you received for it belong to our estate.”

“No,” she said firmly. “Papa had nothing to do with it. His mind wasn’t right for several years. The engine was my design.”

“And the notebooks?” the viscount asked.

“How do you know about them?”

“My husband and I know you stole them from Morris Park. They are a part of his inheritance.”

“They are mine!” she said angrily. “Or they were—until you had them burned, along with the warehouse.”

Morrison looked at his wife. “See? I told you she was clever.” He turned to Mia. “And I’m clever enough to have them retrieved before the building was set afire.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “We now possess your notebooks, my dear cousin. All that is contained in them is ours. We’ll make a fortune from what lies in those pages.”

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